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Architects and designers have recycled ancient practice of collecting rainwater to make buildings ecologically friendly
When the legendary Taiwanese rock band Mayday were due to perform in Beijing one evening in May 2023, some fans were worried that the rainy weather could affect the show. Mayday were taking to the stage in Beijing’s National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, built for the 2008 Olympics. Like the real-life twig piles that give the building its nickname, the stadium is built with an intricate and highly porous lattice, made of steel.
“Don’t worry too much,” reassured an article published by the official newsletter for China’s ministry of water resources. “The Bird’s Nest also has its ‘secret weapon’!”
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This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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In this week’s newsletter: US earnings would be 12% higher without the climate crisis, a study reveals – and the hotter the world gets, the greater the economic losses
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Donald Trump has long railed against emissions-cutting policy as an expensive “hoax” and “scam”. But the climate crisis itself comes with a major price tag for Americans, a new study shows.
Previous research has found that global heating has driven up utility costs, home insurance premiums and healthcare bills. But according to the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, it has also slashed US incomes by more than a tenth since 2000 – a severe national economic jolt.
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body
The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
Africa’s great elephant divide: countries struggle with too many elephants – or too few
Average person will be 40% poorer if world warms by 4C, new research shows
Economic damage from climate change six times worse than thought – report
Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds
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Whiteley, Hampshire: It’s a remarkably mundane place for a large communal roost, but these birds are here for good reason
At the heart of the shopping centre, a courtyard opens between the shops and restaurants. A row of ornamental silver birches rises from the concrete paving, their pale trunks reflecting the glow from the storefronts. I was passing through on my way to meet friends for dinner when a burst of sound pulled my gaze upwards. The crown of the nearest tree was alive with movement. Pied wagtails were arriving from all directions, tails flicking like metronomes as they congregated. The flock’s chatter was punctuated by clipped, high‑pitched “chizzick” flight calls, as more birds streamed into the roost site.
Most shoppers hurried by without a glance. I had time to linger, so I leaned against a pillar and watched. For 10 minutes or so, the flock remained unsettled. Birds shuffled along the branches, displaced one another, then lifted together in a brief, swirling cloud before dropping into a neighbouring tree, only to rise again. Their white faces caught the artificial light, glinting like snowflakes.
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Authorities and firefighters say the Victorian fires of January 2026 were unlike anything seen before in speed, scale and destruction. And they came much earlier than normal
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A new fight for Victorian farmers – saving livestock that survived devastating bushfires
Victoria has been battered by some of the most destructive bushfires in its history, with blazes tearing through 400,000 hectares across the state and claiming the life of a cattle farmer, Maxwell Hobson. Almost 900 buildings have been destroyed, including more than 250 homes, and more than 15,000 livestock have been killed, along with countless wildlife.
Both authorities and firefighters on the ground have reported the fires were unlike anything seen before in their speed, scale and destruction. They also came much earlier than the traditional bushfire season, which typically peaks in February.
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Setback for president, who has called windfarms ‘losers’, as Empire Wind project allowed to move forward
A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would probably kill the project in a matter of days.
District judge Carl J Nichols, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled construction on the Empire Wind project could go forward while he considers the merits of the government’s order to suspend the project. He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure.
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Key maps show the growing strategic importance of Greenland as Arctic ice melts under global heating
Lying between the US and Russia, Greenland has become a critical frontline as the Arctic opens up because of global heating.
Its importance has been underscored by Donald Trump openly considering the US taking the island from its Nato partner Denmark, either by buying it, or by force.
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Changing the way you get about offers some protection from the hazards of ice, snow and compacted leaves
Winter is peak season for slipping and falling outdoors, which is ironic given that we are advised to go outside for our mental and physical wellbeing.
Ice is the most obvious danger but snow, which looks so cheering, becomes a slip hazard when compacted or melted and refrozen. The most common risk, though, is from fallen leaves. Safe when dry, leaves crushed underfoot exude a mix of waxes, lignin, cellulose and plant oils. This mixes with rainwater to form a slimy, low-friction gel every bit as slippery as black ice.
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Long criticised as overcrowded and filthy, the city’s Zando marketplace has had an elegant and sustainable redesign
Selling vegetables was Dieudonné Bakarani’s first job. He had a little stall at Kinshasa Central Market in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Decades later, the 57-year-old entrepreneur is redeveloping the historic marketplace that gave him his start in business to be an award-winning city landmark.
Bakarani hopes to see the market, known as Zando, flourish again and reopen in February after a five-year hiatus. The design has already been recognised internationally; in December, the architects responsible for it won a Holcim Foundation award for sustainable design.
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The international swan census takes place this weekend, with volunteers helping count whooper and Bewick’s swans
Volunteer birders across the UK and Ireland will be among those taking part in the six-yearly international swan census this weekend, counting numbers of the countries’ two wintering species, whooper and Bewick’s swans.
The survey, which last took place in January 2020, aims to track changes in the populations of these charismatic wildfowl in the UK and Ireland. The whoopers have mainly travelled from Iceland and the Bewick’s from Siberia.
Continue reading...Seven hospitals with Raac that were prioritised last year are not expected to be completed on time - some not until 2032/33.
After a decade of trying for a baby, Caroline and her husband decided they needed to build a different future.
Dr Susan Gilby told the BBC she was relieved the case was over and that it "was never about the money."
A study found the 10 consistently worst-performing centres were all in the Midlands and North of England.
Nurses union says long waits and corridor care having a devastating impact on paitents.
Oscar Murphy has an aggressive form of the blood cancer and is the first to get CAR-T therapy in the UK.
The NHS trust says there is rising demand, causing "significant pressure" on hospitals.
More children in England are in drug and alcohol treatment, but families say many cannot get help.
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust says online videos falsely show clinicians promoting weight loss patches.
Nicki's eye had collapsed in on itself, but a new gel injection method has saved her vision.
Deep in the mountains of Palawan, Conservation International scientists are capturing what few people ever see: the secret lives of the Philippines’ rarest species.
At Maido — the Lima restaurant recently crowned the best in the world — one of the star dishes is paiche, a giant prehistoric river fish.Its journey to the table begins on a small family farm deep in Peru’s Amazon.
“Jane Goodall forever changed how people think about, interact with and care for the natural world,” said Daniela Raik, interim CEO of Conservation International.
Conservation International’s Neil Vora was selected for TIME’s Next 100 list — alongside other rising leaders reshaping culture, science and society.
Climate change is happening. And it’s placing the world’s reefs in peril. What can be done?
After decades of negotiation, the high seas treaty is finally reality. The historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters which face numerous threats.
The Amazon rainforest, known for lush green canopies and an abundance of freshwater, is drying out — and deforestation is largely to blame.
The ocean is engine of all life on Earth, but human-driven climate change is pushing it past its limits. Here are five ways the ocean keeps our climate in check — and what can be done to help.
In a grueling and delicate dance, a team led by Conservation International removes a massive undersea killer.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures might be worth even more. An initiative featuring the work of some of the world’s best nature photographers raises money for environmental conservation.
